System and Method for Growing Crops and Components Therefor

Abstract

A system for growing crops includes a plurality of growing troughs with intake regions for receiving a nutrient solution and drains for releasing run-off of the nutrient solution. A nutrient circulation system with circulation subsections provides the nutrient solution to crops in the growing troughs. For each circulation subsection a piping arrangement with pipe outlets distributes the nutrient solution from a reservoir to the intake regions of a first subset of the growing troughs, and collects the nutrient solution from the drains of a non-identical second subset of the growing troughs in a drainage arrangement. The nutrient solution follows a flow path circulating through the reservoirs. The flow paths to the pipe outlets are sequentially split for equivalent flow impedance through each of the flow paths. A conveyor system moves the growing troughs from a planting location to a harvesting location and periodically increases the spacing between adjacent growing troughs.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A system for growing crops comprising:
 (a) a plurality of growing troughs, each of said growing troughs comprising:
 (i) an intake region for receiving a nutrient solution; and 
 (ii) a drain for releasing a run-off of the nutrient solution; 
   (b) a nutrient circulation system for providing the nutrient solution to crops in said growing troughs comprising a plurality of circulation subsections, each of said circulation subsections comprising:
 (i) a piping arrangement with a plurality of pipe outlets for distributing the nutrient solution to said intake regions of a subset of said growing troughs; 
 (ii) a reservoir in fluid flow connection with said piping arrangement; 
 (iii) a pump in fluid flow connection with said reservoir configured to pump the nutrient solution from said reservoir through said piping arrangement to said pipe outlets; and 
 (iv) a drainage arrangement for collecting nutrient solution from said drains of a subset of said growing troughs, 
   wherein, for each of said circulation subsections, said drainage arrangement collects nutrient solution from drains of a first subset of said growing troughs, and said piping arrangement distributes the nutrient solution to said intake region of a second subset of said growing troughs, said first and second subsets being non-identical such that the nutrient solution follows a flow path circulating through a plurality of said reservoirs.   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of said piping arrangements comprises:
 (A) a main pipe; and   (B) a plurality of pipe outlets, the flow from said main pipe to each of said pipe outlets constituting a flow path, each of said flow paths being the result of a sequential splitting from said main pipe such that there is an equivalent flow impedance through each of said flow paths.   
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said first and second subsets are non-overlapping. 
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of said circulation subsections further comprises:
 (i) a return drainage arrangement for collecting unused nutrient solution from a subset of said pipe outlets.   
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 (a) a nutrient solution volume adjustment mechanism in fluid flow connection with at least one of said reservoirs configured for allowing the flow of water from a mains water supply to said reservoir when a total volume of nutrient solution satisfies a threshold criteria; and   (b) a metering system comprising:
 (i) a measurement apparatus associated with said nutrient circulation system for measuring at least one characteristic of the nutrient solution; 
 (ii) a plurality of containers, each of said containers configured to hold at least one ingredient of the nutrient solution; 
 (iii) a metering arrangement associated with each of said containers and configured for delivering a metered quantity of each of said ingredients into said nutrient solution; and 
 (iv) an ingredient controller associated with said measurement apparatus and said containers for actuating said metering arrangement based on said at least one characteristic in order to maintain said at least one characteristic within a defined range. 
   
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said growing troughs occupy a crop growing area,
 and wherein a total volume of water in said nutrient circulation system is less than 20 Liters per square meter of said crop growing area.   
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said pipe outlets are at a vertical distance of less than 1 meter above a fluid level in said reservoirs. 
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said pumps are configured to provide pressurized nutrient solution at a maximum pressure of less than 0.2 bar. 
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1  deployed on the rooftop of a building wherein the rooftop has an area of at least 2000 square meters. 
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein said growing troughs occupy a crop growing area;
 and wherein the combined average weight of the system including said growing troughs and said nutrient circulation system is less than 150 kilograms per square meter of said crop growing area.   
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the average time the nutrient solution is in said reservoirs between circulations is less than 10 minutes. 
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a total volume of water in said reservoirs is reduced by at least 50% during operation of said pumps. 
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein each of said growing troughs is associated with an RFID tag operable to receive an interrogator signal and to transmit an authentication signal,
 such that when an RFID reader passes over said RFID tag and transmits an interrogator signal, an authentication signal is generated.   
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 (a) a conveyor system for moving said growing troughs from a planting location to a harvesting location, said conveyor system comprising a first conveyor assembly and a second conveyor assembly, said second conveyor assembly overlapping with said first conveyor assembly thereby defining an overlap section, each of said conveyor assemblies comprising:
 (i) at least one conveyor rail; 
 (ii) a mechanical trough moving arrangement attached to said at least one conveyor rail reciprocally movable in a retraction direction and an advancing direction; and 
 (iii) a drive motor assembly associated with said trough moving arrangement for actuating movement of said trough moving arrangement in said retraction direction from a first position to a second position and in said advancing direction from said second position to said first position, the movement of said trough moving arrangement from said first position to said second position defining a stroke length, 
   wherein said trough moving arrangement has a set of depressible ratchet teeth deployed such that, when said mechanical trough moving arrangement is moved in said retraction direction, growing troughs positioned above said mechanical trough moving arrangement do not move, and when said mechanical trough moving arrangement is moved in said advancing direction, growing troughs positioned above said mechanical trough moving arrangement are moved in said advancing direction,   and wherein said stroke length of said second conveyor assembly is larger than said stroke length of said first conveyor assembly, and wherein said overlap section is configured such that only one of said growing troughs is transferred from said first conveyor assembly to said second conveyor assembly for each reciprocal motion of said second conveyor.   
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 1 , further comprising a support structure for supporting said growing troughs and said reservoirs spaced at least 30 centimeters above an underlying surface. 
     
     
         16 . A system for growing crops comprising:
 (a) a plurality of growing troughs, each of said growing troughs comprising:
 (i) an intake region for receiving a nutrient solution; and 
 (ii) a drain for releasing a run-off of the nutrient solution; 
   (b) a circulation subsection comprising:
 (i) a piping arrangement for distributing the nutrient solution to said intake regions corresponding to a subset of said growing troughs, said piping arrangement comprising:
 (A) a main pipe; and 
 (B) a plurality of pipe outlets for providing the nutrient solution to crops in said subset of growing troughs, wherein the flow from said main pipe to each of said pipe outlets constitutes a flow path, each of said flow paths being the result of a sequential splitting from said main pipe such that there is an equivalent flow impedance through each of said flow paths; 
 
 (ii) a reservoir in fluid flow connection with said piping arrangement; 
 (iii) a pump in fluid flow connection with said reservoir configured to pump the nutrient solution from said reservoir through said piping arrangement to said pipe outlets. 
   
     
     
         17 . A system for growing crops comprising:
 (a) a plurality of growing troughs, each of said growing troughs comprising:
 (i) an intake region for receiving a nutrient solution; and 
 (ii) a drain for releasing a run-off of the nutrient solution; 
   (b) a conveyor system for moving said growing troughs from a planting location to a harvesting location, said conveyor system comprising a first conveyor assembly and a second conveyor assembly, said second conveyor assembly overlapping with said first conveyor assembly thereby defining an overlap section, each of said conveyor assemblies comprising:
 (i) at least one conveyor rail; 
 (ii) a mechanical trough moving arrangement attached to said at least one conveyor rail reciprocally movable in a retraction direction and an advancing direction; and 
 (iii) a drive motor assembly associated with said trough moving arrangement for actuating movement of said trough moving arrangement in said retraction direction from a first position to a second position and in said advancing direction from said second position to said first position, the movement of said trough moving arrangement from said first position to said second position defining a stroke length, 
   
       wherein said trough moving arrangement has a set of depressible ratchet teeth deployed such that, when said mechanical trough moving arrangement is moved in said retraction direction, growing troughs positioned above said mechanical trough moving arrangement do not move, and when said mechanical trough moving arrangement is moved in said advancing direction, growing troughs positioned above said mechanical trough moving arrangement are moved in said advancing direction, 
       and wherein said stroke length of said second conveyor assembly is larger than said stroke length of said first conveyor assembly, and wherein said overlap section is configured such that only one of said growing troughs is transferred from said first conveyor assembly to said second conveyor assembly for each reciprocal motion of said second conveyor. 
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 17 , further comprising a support structure located above said conveyor assemblies for supporting said growing troughs, said support structure comprising:
 (a) a frame configured to support the weight of said growing troughs; and   (b) a plurality of legs connected to said frame, each of said legs having an adjustable length.   
     
     
         19 . A method of growing crops comprising the steps of:
 (a) obtaining a growing trough;   (b) planting a first crop in said growing trough, said first crop including a root system;   (c) moving said growing trough incrementally through a crop growing area from a planting location towards a harvesting location;   (d) harvesting said first crop in said harvesting location while leaving said root system intact in said growing trough; and   (e) transporting said growing trough to a portion of said growing area near said planting location for growing a second crop from said root system.   
     
     
         20 . The method of  claim 19 , wherein said transporting is performed by a transport device deployed for moving across said crop growing area.